Cheap Summertime - Criterion Collection (DVD) (Katharine Hepburn, Rossano Brazzi) (David Lean) Price

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Customer Reviews of Summertime - Criterion Collection

I'll watch it over and over and over again and again...when I want to see an excellent story, have a few laughs ... and a good cry. It is that good! Highly recommend it...especially for sentimentalists who appreciate a good tearjerker.

The first and best of Katharine Hepburn's classic spinsters
After doing "Pat and Mike" in 1952 with Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn left MGM when her contract ended and starred in the first major production of George Bernard Shaw's "The Millionairess" in London. It was not until 1955 that David Lean persuaded Hepburn to return to films, bringing her to Venice to star in this bitter-sweet love story about a lonely American school teacher and spinster, Jane Hudson, who takes a once in a lifetime vacation to Europe where she meets Renato Di Rossi (Rossano Brazzi), the charming owner of an antique shop. Based on the Arthur Laurents' play "The Time of the Cuckoo," this film creates not only the first but also certainly the most realistic of Hepburn's celebrated spinster roles. Unlike her Oscar nominated performances as spinsters who find love in "The African Queen" and "The Rainmaker," the story of Jane Hudson does not have as many comic moments, although her celebrated fall in the canals of Venice, which ruined her eyes for the rest of her life, is one of those standout moments in Hepburn's career. Because it is more realistic there is more of an element to tragedy to this story than any other of her similar roles. Although Jane falls in love for the first time in her life, there is no hope for a future with Rentao who is married and has a grown son. This is made all the more poignant by Jane's relationship with the cute street urchin Mario (Gaitano Audiero) who becomes her guide through Venice. Together, these symbolic husband and son figures help to bring Jane out of her shell and in the end we know she is a better person for the experience, as painful as it might be. True, this is an old story, but "Summertime" carries it off with a level of technical proficiency and artistic effort way above the norm.

At first consideration you would not think of "Summertime" as being a traditional sort of David Lean film since it is not the type of cinematic epic you associate with the director. But when you see the way the sights of Venice are photographed you know this is the same eye that captured the jungles of southeast Asia, the deserts of Arabia and the winter wonderland of Russia (although credit also has to be given to cinematographer Jack Hildyard). If you will never make it to Venice, this is the film that will bring it alive for you. For 1955 this is a remarkably adult film, which just reaffirms the importance of Broadway dramas in changing the nature of Hollywood. Just in terms of Hepburn's career you can readily see that most of her adult theme films were all originally presented on Broadway (e.g., "Suddenly Last Summer," "Long Day's Journey Into Night," "The Lion in Winter"). However, do not ask me to explain how the actress went from this film to making "The Iron Petticoat" with Bob Hope. But even that legendary debacle (the one Hepburn film I have never seen) did not detract from the importance of "Summertime" in reestablishing her film career as an independent actress. Beginning with this film, Hepburn had a streak of eight films in which she received six Oscar nominations and won her second and third awards. At MGM she had been a dramatic comedienne but during this independent stage of her career she did her far and way best work as a tragic actress.

A thoughtful and colorful Hepburn film
Katharine Hepburn plays Jane Hudson, an unmarried woman vacationing alone in Venice. The city captivates her, though it's not long before her loneliness begins to take away her enjoyment of its sites. When she meets Renato, an Italian who owns an antique shop, she is nervous and thrilled by the near instantaneous attraction between them. Like the city itself, Renato holds out the promise of an unforgettable experience, even though he's a married man. Hepburn does a fine job as a spinster seeking a little bit of romance before she grows too old.